Knight's Tales: Magic
by TreeOfLife1997
Summary: When Merlin is tasked with joining Elyan, Gwaine, Lancelot, Leon and Percival on a quest to rid the outlying villages of a magical creature, which has been terrorising them, Merlin knows he's going to have his work cut out taking care of the threat. But when danger strikes before they even reach the outlying villages, Merlin's left with a difficult choice to make. Magic reveal.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter One:

Merlin stood in the clearing beyond Camelot's walls, waiting. The moon was full and hung in the sky, which was perfectly clear and countless stars twinkled in the night sky. But for once it wasn't the Great Dragon Merlin was meeting here. He couldn't help but smile as he waited. He hadn't been able to stop smiling since Lancelot came up with this idea.

Turning, Merlin watched as Lancelot came through the trees and into the clearing. He was dressed in light armour and had his sword at his side. He smiled as he saw Merlin waiting for him. He quickly walled over and looked around the clearing, before glancing up at the sky.

"It's a nice night," Lancelot commented.

"Perfect," Merlin agrees.

"You didn't happened to have something to do with that, did you?" Lancelot raised an eyebrow at Merlin.

Merlin shook his head with a smile.

"No," Merlin replied. "It's all natural, I promise."

"But you could change the weather if you wished to?" Lancelot asked.

"I can make it rain," Merlin answered. "But I haven't had a chance to try anything else… If the weather changes to quickly, people start getting suspicious. It only takes a funny shaped cloud to send the people of Camelot running to the King screaming about sorcery."

Lancelot stared at Merlin with a look of disbelief.

"I mean, what type of sorcerer would attack Camelot using clouds?" Merlin carried on. "Like there's a sorcerer sitting somewhere going 'I think I'll destroy Camelot today, unleash the funny shaped clouds!'."

Lancelot couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.

"If only that was the worst you had to deal with, Merlin," Lancelot smiled.

Merlin grinned.

"Well then," Lancelot said, drawing his sword. "Let's get started."

Merlin nodded and took a couple of steps back and raised his hands and without giving Lancelot any warning, he cast his first spell. Lancelot didn't have time to do anything other than duck and roll out the way, but he quickly got to his feet and came charging towards Merlin, who ducked under the swing of the blade and cast another spell, sending Lancelot crashing backwards.

Lancelot quickly regained his balance once more and charged at Merlin who danced out the way easily, before sending a spell crashing into Lancelot exposed side. Lancelot let out a yelp and jumped back. Merlin grinned and watched as Lancelot turned to face him once more, Merlin shrugged one shoulder.

"Try deflecting the spells with the flat of your blade," Merlin explained. "Guide it away from you, the same way you would a sword strike."

Lancelot nodded and fell back into a fighting stance once more. Merlin raised his hand and cast another basic spell, sending it directly at Lancelot, who this time deflected the spell with his sword and sent in to ground. Lancelot smiled and Merlin cheered, but quickly danced out the way and sent another spell at Lancelot as he attacked.

)o(

Merlin stood in the council chamber the following morning, leaning against a pillar as Arthur addressed the council. Lancelot was stood across the council chamber from him, the other Knights of the Round Table at his sides. Merlin sent him a small smile as he caught Lancelot's eye, before turning his attention back to what Arthur was saying.

"… And that concludes the land disputes between Lord Hawks and Baron Tredinnick," Arthur announced. "Now on to more worrying matters. We have received several reports of a magical creature attacking villages near the borders in the west."

Merlin shifted and pushed himself of the pillar. A magical creature was attacking villages… Merlin looked around the chamber until he gaze meet Gaius's. His mentors gaze was full of worry. Merlin turned his attention back to Arthur.

"Sir Lancelot, Sir Gwaine, Sir Elyan and Sir Percival, lead by Sir Leon will travel to the western borders and investigate the sightings. Gaius, you will accompany them, as I believe several villages are in need of a physician."

"Forgive me, Sire," Gaius took a step forward. "But I fear I am too old to make such a journey. May I suggest you send Merlin in my place? He has been training as my apprentice since he arrived in Camelot."

"Merlin?" Arthur asked in disbelief.

Merlin shot Arthur a sharp look and the assembled council members mumbled amongst themselves.

"Yes, My Lord," Gaius answered.

"Very well," Arthur said after a moment. "Merlin will accompany the Knights."

Merlin shared a look with Lancelot, who sent him a wary smile. They both knew Merlin was the only one who really had a true chance of killing the creature, but with so many other Knights with them, it was going to be hard for Merlin to get a chance to kill the creature or send it away without being seen.

)o(

"We'll set up camp here for the night," Leon told the group, as dusk began to settle over the land.

Merlin jumped down from his horse and began to ready the supplies he'd bought with him. Lancelot quickly made his way over and offered Merlin his help, which Merlin gratefully accepted. As the two of them worked, the other Knights sat around the fire Gwaine and Percival had made as Leon discussed potential battle plans.

"Water," Merlin suddenly muttered. "We don't have enough water."

Lancelot glances at him from where he was chopping up some vegetables.

"We passed a stream only half a league back," Lancelot said, getting to his feet. "I'll go."

"No," Merlin shook his head. "We're less than a day's ride from the village… You and I both know, I have the best chance."

Lancelot opened his mouth to protest, but realised Merlin was right and nodded.

"I won't be long," Merlin promised and disappeared into the quickly darkening forest.

"Where's Merlin going?" Gwaine called across to Lancelot.

"To get more water," Lancelot replied.

"Well, he'd better hurry," Gwaine replied. "I'm getting hungry… At this rate I'll be eating my own socks!"

Elyan snorted, "I wouldn't want anything that smelt that bad anywhere near my mouth."

"Oi!" Gwaine elbowed him.

Lancelot rolled his eyes and dropped the last of the chopped up vegetables into the pot along with the dried, salted meat Merlin was planning to make a stew out of. Suddenly an unearthly shriek sounded through the air and the Knights jumped to their feet. Lancelot's eyes were instantly drawn to the match of forest Merlin had disappeared into. The shriek hadn't come from that direction, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Merlin out their alone, even if he was the most powerfully of all of them, with no one to watch his back.

"I'm going to find Merlin," Lancelot called over his shoulder as he vanished into the forest after Merlin.

"I'll come with you…" Gwaine trailed off, as turned to find Lancelot had already gone.

Lancelot hurried through the tree's, trying to follow Merlin's tracks in the low light. But for someone Arthur claimed to be so clumsy, there were little to no tracks to follow. It was almost like Merlin had no physical presence and like a ghost, he had simply drifted through the area leaving no mark or trace.

"Merlin?" Lancelot called out.

Up ahead a twig snapped and Lancelot looked up sharply.

"Merlin?" He called again.

He received no answer. Raising his sword, Lancelot began to move forward and as he did so he failed to notice the figures moving through the trees around him. Another unearthly shriek filled the air, much closer this time and Lancelot paused as he sensed a movement behind him. He went to spin round and attack, but he was quickly enough as something hard connected with the back of his head and he feel to the ground unconscious.

)o(

 **Hey! I hope you enjoyed the start of this story. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter Two:

Merlin stepped out of the trees and the sight which greeted him was one he was not expecting. Elyan, Gwaine, Leon and Percival were all bound and gagged on the far side of camp. And lying on the ground before them was Lancelot. His face was covered in blood and for a terrifying second Merlin thought he was dead.

Rushing forward Merlin dropped to his knees beside the unconscious form of Lancelot, paying no attention to the other Knights, as he examined Lancelot's wound. Time was key when it came to head injuries. Merlin knew he should free the other Knights, as it was clear whoever had captured them would be coming back, but every second he wasted was a second more Lancelot was in danger of never waking up again.

It didn't take Merlin long to realise that there was little he could do for Lancelot without the aid of magic. The wound was just too deep. Lancelot's skull had been shattered and the bone was visible through the gaping wound. Merlin cursed under his breath. What was he to do? Lancelot knew about his magic and kept it a secret.

He was a loyal friend.

But could Merlin risk it? He'd have to use magic in front of the other Knights. This was Lancelot's life at stake. Lancelot would never lie to Arthur, so if Merlin healed him and Lancelot returned to Camelot, he'd go to the flames for harbouring a sorcerer… But if Merlin didn't heal him, he'd die now and Merlin would have to live his life knowing he didn't even try to heal someone who willing risked their life to his magic a secret.

Merlin had made up his mind.

He was going to use his magic to heal Lancelot.

He'd deal with whatever came afterwards with his head held high, knowing he'd done the right thing. Lancelot wasn't going to die here, if Merlin had anything to say about it. Merlin sat back and tried to think of a spell capable of healing a wound as serious as the one Lancelot had. Suddenly the sound of footstep caught Merlin's attention and he glanced round in time to see a group of bandits enter the camp.

"If you value your lives," Merlin warned. "You won't take another step."

Out the corner of his eye, Merlin saw the Knights shaking their heads and Gwaine trying to get free of the ropes which bound him. Little did they know Merlin was the most powerful of them all. One of the bandits drew his sword and pointed his sword at Merlin.

"What are you going to do, boy?" He laughed.

"Last chance," Merlin said.

"You don't even have a sword," The bandits laughed.

"I don't need one," Merlin answered.

His eyes flashed gold and the entire group of bandits were thrown backwards through the air.

)o(

Merlin held his breath as he waited to see if any of the bandits he'd thrown had survived and when none of them moved, he turned his attention back to Lancelot. He refused to look at the other Knights, fearing the reactions he'd see and the terror and betrayal in their eyes. He'd worry about that later, at the moment he had more important things to worry about.

Merlin held a hand over Lancelot's head wound and muttered the words of a spell, but nothing happened. Merlin frowned slightly and tried another spell, again nothing happened. Cursing his luck, Merlin held out his hand and summoned his spell book from where it was hidden in his bag. The book flew into his hands, along with his Sidhe staff.

After all, he had no idea what manner of magical creature he was going to be facing when they reached the outlying villages. He needed to be prepared.

Flicking through the pages of the spell book, Merlin sighed and shut his eyes and held his hand over the pages. Behind his closed eyelids, his eyes glowed gold and the pages began turning all on their own at a much faster rate. Suddenly Merlin slammed his hand down, stopping the pages from moving and he opened his eyes.

He lifted his hand to reveal a healing spell.

Merlin quickly read the page, the spell was complex but he was sure he could cast it. He had to. If he didn't, Lancelot would die. Setting down his spell book, Merlin turned to Lancelot once more. He raced his hand and held it over Lancelot's wound and cast the spell. His eyes burned gold and Merlin gasped in a breath as the full strength of his magic hummed through his veins.

He'd never felt power like it before.

His hand dropped to his side and Merlin watched as the wound on the side of Lancelot's head healed itself. He breathed in deeply as he shut his eyes, his whole body was tingling. When he opened his eyes, he almost jumped in shock as he looked down at his hands. Below his skin, his veins were glowing, making it appear like he was covered in a golden cobweb. Merlin raised his hands and stared at them in shock.

This had never happened before.

Suddenly Lancelot groaned and Merlin turned his attention towards him, he'd worry about the fact he was basically glowing later. Right now he had to make sure Lancelot hadn't suffered any lasting damage from the head wound.

"Lancelot," Merlin shook Lancelot by the shoulder.

Lancelot groaned again and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked at Merlin a couple of times, before he sat bolt upright, one hand going to his head were his injury had previously been, while the other reached for Merlin.

"Merlin," Lancelot said slowly as he took in the sight of his near glowing friend. "What have you done?"

"You were going to die," Merlin answered. "I couldn't let you die, not when I had the power to save you."

Lancelot looked round the camp, taking in the sight of the dead bandits, scattered across the ground on the far side of the camp where Merlin had thrown them. He saw the open spell book lying beside Merlin and the magical staff, with its deep blue stone and runes carved into the wood.

"Oh, Merlin," Lancelot said.

)o(

Merlin watched Lancelot as he moved around the camp, looking for any signs of unsteadiness. So far from what Merlin could tell, Lancelot had no lingering effects from the head wound. And just like Merlin knew Lancelot would, he hadn't tried to arrest or kill him… Even though Merlin wished he had.

He still hadn't looked at the other Knights and Lancelot had avoided it too. Lancelot had been forced to make a choice. Choose between Merlin and his duty to Camelot and he had chosen Merlin, just like he'd done many times before… But this time he wasn't just keeping Merlin's magic a secret. He was committing treason in front of the other Knights.

He'd chosen Merlin over his duty.

He had openly sided with a sorcerer.

Without warning a bolt of light was sent through the trees aimed straight at Lancelot, Merlin raised a hand and yelled a spell. A glowing blue shield appeared between Lancelot and the approaching attack. The bolt of light rebounded off the shield and hit a nearby tree turning it to dust on impact. Merlin got to his feet, as Lancelot reached for his sword.

"My, my," A mocking voice said. "What do we have here? A Knight of Camelot and his pet sorcerer."

Merlin spun round and stared at the man dressed in pale orange and grey robes who had suddenly appeared in the middle of their camp. He smirked at them and Merlin studied the tattoo on the side of the sorcerers face. He'd never seen a symbol like it before. Suddenly the sorcery threw a spell at Merlin and Merlin threw up a hand and his eyes flashed, halting the spell mid-air.

This seemed to take the sorcerer by surprise, as he stared at Merlin with his mouth agape.

"What a powerful young sorcerer you are," He said, as Merlin destroyed the spell halted in mid-air.

Merlin simply watched him, not saying a word.

The sorcerer suddenly threw another spell at Merlin, one he was unable to stop and Merlin was thrown across the clearing, straight into the trunk of a tree.

"Merlin!" Lancelot exclaimed.

Merlin sat there, stunned, for a moment, before he rolled out the way of another spell, which like the first turned the tree to ashes. Merlin got to his feet and sent a fire ball at the sorcerer across from him. The sorcerer quickly threw up a shield, but the fire ball passed straight through it and caught the sorcerers shoulder as he tried to dive out the way.

As the sorcerer hissed in pain, Merlin became aware of what else was going on in the camp. Lancelot was in the middle of a fight with some more bandits, no doubt they worked for the sorcerer. And he was outnumbered. Merlin eyes flashed and a tree branch snapped and fell on a bandit about to strike Lancelot from behind, while a tree root moved tripping another.

Turning his attention back to where the sorcerer had been, Merlin found the space empty and the sight of more bandits running through the trees towards him. His eyes flashed gold and a cross bow bolt stopped in front of his face and fell to the ground.

This was going to be an interesting fight.

)o(

 **Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter Three:

Merlin threw up his hand, sending five bandits crashing into the trees they had just emerged from between. He spun and ducked under a sword aimed for his neck as a bandit snuck up behind him. His eye flashed and the bandit went flying backwards, straight into two others. Merlin grinned to himself, before he turned his attention to the bandits approaching where the other Knights were tied up. He reached out with his magic and pulled them backwards, sharply, sending them flying across the clearing.

"Lancelot!" Merlin yelled.

A bandit was about to strike Lancelot from behind, as he pulled his sword from the body of another. Lancelot ducked and spun, cutting the bandits across his midsection. They fell to the ground dead and Merlin turned once more. Suddenly Merlin's magic reacted on its own and a crossbow bolt froze in the air three inches from his face. The bolt dropped to the ground and Merlin turned his attention to the trees as he tried to work out where it had come from.

Suddenly another crossbow bolt flew through the air and this time Merlin saw where it had come from his eye flashed and the branch the bandit had been sitting on, snapped under them sending them crashing to the ground. Merlin's eye flashed again and time slowed around him as he followed the path of the crossbow bolt.

He threw up a hand as time resumed its normal pace and the crossbow bolt stopped millimetres in front of Gwaine's left eye, so close in fact that when Gwaine blinked his eyelashes brushed the tip of the crossbow bolt. Merlin eyes flashed gold and the crossbow bolt spun round and shot off and imbedded itself in the chest of an approaching bandit.

Merlin raced across the camp and dropped to his knees in front of the other knights and summoned a shield of shimmer magic. Another crossbow bolt bounced off the shield and Merlin glanced in their direction and his eyes glowed and causing a branch to snap.

"Merlin!" Lancelot called urgently.

Merlin turned his head to look over his shoulder to see what had Lancelot so worried. Even more bandits were coming through the trees towards them. They'd been outnumbered before, but this tome it was double the amount as before. Merlin turned back to look at the other Knights, who were still bound. They needed help, but could Merlin risk untying them?

Merlin placed his hands on the ground on either side of him as an idea suddenly popped into his head. His shut his eyes for a second and concentrated. He opened his eyes, which were burning gold and threw his hands into the air. Out of the ground on either side of him, burst soldiers made of earth and leaves wielding weapons made of ore. Lancelot jaw dropped from where he had retreated to stand beside Merlin as he watched the approaching bandits.

The magically made soldiers charged forward to meet the approaching bandits and the battle began anew. Merlin got to his feet and Lancelot nodded to him. The two of them quickly joined the fray. Merlin summoned a whirlwind and sent it into a group of bandits that had gotten passed the soldiers, while Lancelot picked off bandits from the edge of the fight.

)o(

The battle with the bandits was over.

The bandits were dead and the magically made soldiers had returned into the ground they had come from. Merlin and Lancelot were both still alive and so were the other knights and as Merlin sat treating a wound Lancelot had gained during the fight, he risked a glance at them but he didn't look long enough to read the emotion in their eyes.

"You need to leave Merlin," Lancelot said, as Merlin wrapped his arm in a bandage.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"You need to run," Lancelot meet Merlin's gaze. "You need to get as far away from here as you can. I'll buy you as much time as I can, but I'll have to untie them at dawn."

Merlin glanced at the other Knights again.

"Lancelot," Merlin shook his head. "I can't leave. Arthur needs me. Camelot needs me… You need me. You have no idea what you'll be facing in the outlying villages."

"Merlin, if you stay, you'll be executed," Lancelot said, gripping Merlin's shoulder. "You need to go! I don't want to watch you burn."

"You don't know that," Merlin disagreed. "And what about you? You helped and harboured a sorcerer… You can't deny you knew about my magic. The punishment for that is death, Lancelot!"

"You have a destiny far greater than mine, Merlin," Lancelot answered. "Camelot would fall without you. I have no doubt you can still protect Camelot no matter how far away from it you are. But in order to protect Camelot, you need to be alive."

Merlin looked down at the ground in front of him.

Lancelot squeezed Merlin's shoulder and got to his feet, "I'll pack your bag."

Lancelot walked off and Merlin shut his eyes. He knew Lancelot was right, his destiny required him to live… If he died, so would Arthur and Camelot would fall into Morgana's hands. There would be no golden age, only death and war…

But at the same time he couldn't let Lancelot die.

Merlin opened his eyes. If Lancelot wouldn't come with him, he'd have to return to Camelot alone and risk getting caught because there was no way he was going to let Lancelot die just because he'd kept Merlin's secret! Merlin watched as Lancelot approached carrying Merlin's pack, spell book and Sidhe staff.

"Come with me," Merlin said.

"I can't leave them," Lancelot said.

"If you stay, you'll be executed," Merlin argued.

"And I will gladly go to my death knowing you have lived," Lancelot answered.

"Lancelot…" Merlin began.

"Go, Merlin," Lancelot said, pushing Merlin towards the trees. "You're wasting time. Go!"

Merlin nodded and summoned a ball of light with one palm and disappeared through the trees.

)o(

Merlin walked through the forest, a small ball of light guiding his way. He been walking for hours now, stopping every five minutes to cover his tracks with a simple spell. The forest was eerily silent around him and the stars visible through the trees seemed dimmer than usual. He had no idea where he was, all he knew was with every step he was getting further and further away from the Knights and Camelot.

" _Emrys,_ " A voice echoed through his head.

Merlin paused and looked round, but there was nobody in sight.

"Hello?" Merlin called out.

" _Emrys,_ " Another voice echoed through his head. " _This way, Emrys._ "

"Where are you?" Merlin called out again.

" _This way, Emrys,_ " A voice sounding like it was coming from his right said.

The only people who called Merlin, Emrys, were the druids. After hesitating for a moment, Merlin turned and walked in the direction the voice had come from.

" _This way,_ " The voice whispered again after Merlin had made it a fair distance down his new path, guiding him to the left this time. " _This way, Emrys._ "

As Merlin continued to walk, more voice echoed around his head but he couldn't make out what they were saying. It was like he was walking through a crowded market place, everyone one was talking, but you could never make out what one person was saying unless you were standing close to them.

" _This way._ "

" _Hurry, Emrys._ "

" _This way, hurry._ "

Finally Merlin stepped out of the tree and found himself standing in front of a cave and in the mouth of the cave stood someone Merlin knew.

It was the druid chief Iseldir.

"Iseldir," Merlin greeted.

"Emrys," Iseldir bowed his head. "Come, follow me. We have been expecting you, Emrys."

Merlin followed Iseldir into the cave, which turned out to be an entire network of tunnels and cave and was home to Iseldir's camp.

"It is dangerous to walk these woods at night, Emrys," Iseldir said. "Even for one with you great power must take care. Few survive the sting of a Serket. Those who do not die from the poison, die from the pain."

"I've been stung before," Merlin said.

"Then you are lucky indeed to be alive, Emrys," Iseldir answered.

Finally they reached a small cave, mostly cut off from the others.

"You may stay here," Iseldir turned to Merlin. "No one will disturb you."

"Thank you, Iseldir," Merlin smiled.

Iseldir bowed and left, leaving Merlin alone with the whispers of the other druids echoing around him head.

)o(

 **Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter Four:

As the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, Lancelot turned to the other Knights. He'd been unable to sleep at all since Merlin had left, the forest was dangerous and Merlin was alone… But Merlin was the most powerful of them all, there were few things in this world that could truly hurt him, not that it eased Lancelot's worry any.

Lancelot drew his knife from his belt and approached the Knights. He knelt before Percival first and quickly cut the ropes binding his wrists and ankles, leaving Percival to remove the gag on his own. Next he moved to Elyan and then Gwaine. Finally he came to Leon and he paused for a moment. Sir Leon was the one he feared the reaction of the most. Reaching forward Lancelot cut the ropes binding Leon and sat back on his heels and waited for their reactions.

Would they kill him on the spot? Or take him back to Camelot?

"Well?" Gwaine said, jumping to his feet. "What are you waiting for? We need to find Merlin!"

"No," Leon answered.

"We can't just let him go like that!" Gwaine exclaimed. "He thinks we hate him! That we'd have him executed! He's my best friend and he thinks I hate him!"

"Gwaine!" Leon said sharply as he got to his feet. "You forget your place. You are a Knight of Camelot. You swore an oath to the crown, to the King. You are duty and honour bound to up hold the law."

"Leon's right, Gwaine," Elyan said joining the conversation. "If we ever see Merlin again, it'll be our duty to arrest him and take him back to Camelot… Where he'll be sentenced to death."

"Merlin has gone and be thankful he has," Leon said. "He escaped before we could arrest him. That is all the court needs to know. If they question why we did not follow the sorcerer, the answer is simple. We are here to aid the outlying villages and that is what we shall do. That is the order I have given. We continue on our way and we help those who we came here to help. By the time we return to Camelot, Merlin will be long gone and no patrols sent after him will be able to catch up with him before he crosses the border."

"What about Lancelot?" Percival interrupts, now standing beside his oldest friend.

Leon turned to look at Lancelot.

"He was under an enchantment," Leon finally said. "He did not help the sorcerer of his own free will."

"That isn't true and you know it," Gwaine exclaimed.

"But it is what we will tell the court," Leon answered. "To say any different would result in Lancelot being branded a traitor and sentenced to death."

"And we all know if that happens, Merlin will risk his life by returning to Camelot to try and save him," Elyan pointed out.

"I cannot lie to the King," Lancelot stepped forward.

"Then don't answer," Leon replied. "The enchantment cast over you, forbids you from spilling the sorcerer's secrets."

)o(

 _The hallway was dark, almost impossibly so. Merlin looked round, but the way behind him seemed to have fallen away into the darkness. Ahead of him light spilled out from an open doorway and Merlin slowly made his way towards it. He kept one hand on the wall closest to him as he walked, it was so dark he couldn't even see his own feet._

 _As Merlin stepped into the light coming from the open doorway, he stood with his back to the wall next to the doorway, before peering round it into the room. The room was like none he had ever seen before, it was full of magical artefacts, spell book and countless crystals. Merlin jaw dropped. He'd never seen so magical related objects in one place before._

 _Slowly Merlin stepped into the room, looking round in wonder as he did so. Herbs, brightly coloured gem stones and charms hung from the ceiling. Posters covered in runes and magical related diagrams covered the parts of the walls not covered by bookshelves… And the bookshelves! Merlin had never before seen so many spell books! He trailed his fingers along their spins as he walked around the edge of the room._

 _Jar and bottles covered the tables and a cauldron bubbled over the fire across the room from where Merlin walked. Merlin smiled and walked over to one of the tables, stepping to study the pages of an open book. He frowned as the picture it showed. It looked like a giant spotted cat, which breathed out an odd coloured smoke. Nudu was it's given the name and the smoke which it breathed out was deadly and anyone who came in contact with it died from an awful disease._

 _A spell was listed below it… Telling someone how to summon the creature! Merlin's eyes widened as he continued to read. There was also a spell that could send the creature back from where it had been summoned from, but the creature could return at any time, as the summoning spell formed a link with whoever cast it, leaving the creature a route to return through… There was also a spell which could kill the creature, but only one sorcerer had ever cast that spell and succeeded…_

 _It had been Cornelius Sigan._

 _Suddenly footsteps caught Merlin's attention and he looked up to see the sorcerer he had faced in the forest walk into the room. Merlin quickly backed away from the table, but there was no where he could hide… Not that it mattered the sorcerer didn't even seem to notice him as he walked over to the spell book Merlin had been looking at moments before._

 _"_ _Emrys!"_

Merlin woke with a start and sat bolt upright. He looked round the cave he was in wildly, as he tried to work out where he was. Iseldir stood in the entrance to the small cave, watching Merlin curiously. That was right, he was staying the night with the druids.

"I did not mean to startle you, Emrys," Iseldir apologised.

"It's fine," Merlin answered. "Just a strange dream that was all."

Iseldir raised an eyebrow at Merlin and for a second Merlin thought of Gaius and a feeling of guilt washed over him. He hadn't thought about how his actions would affect Gaius… Ever since Merlin had arrived in Camelot, Gaius had feared for the day Merlin's secret was found out and now it had been…

"Emrys?"

Merlin looked up and realised Iseldir had been talking.

"I'm sorry," Merlin said. "What did you say?"

"Would you like to join me for breakfast, Emrys?" Iseldir asked.

"Yes," Merlin nodded and forced himself to smile. "I'd love to, Iseldir."

)o(

"Halt!" Leon ordered as they came to the top of a ridge overlooking a village.

The other Knights came to halt behind him and they all stared down at the village.

"Where are the people?" Percival asked, breaking the silence which had fallen over the group.

"That's a good question," Leon said. "Let's find out."

He jumped off his horse and carefully led it down the ridge. The other Knights were quick to follow. They entered the village cautiously, looking round for any sign of life. The village was completely silent and nothing moved.

"What do you think happened here?" Elyan asked, looking around and trying not show the unease he felt.

"No idea," Percival answered from where he was kneeling on the ground looking for tracks. "There's no signs of a fight or struggle."

Gwaine nodded in agreement, "Nothing's been touched. This place hasn't been raided."

Lancelot looked round, it was almost like everyone had simply vanished. Personal items were still visible through opened doorways and work tools lay on the ground like they'd simply been dropped where the villagers worked.

"Hey!" A voice yelled.

The Knights turned to see a young woman walking towards them. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her lower face was covered by a scarf.

"You can't be here!" She yelled at them from where she had stopped just outside the edge of the village.

"Excuse me, Miss," Leon approached her.

"You can't be here," The young woman repeated. "This village is cursed. All who pass through it, invite death to their door. You have to leave and pray death does not follow you."

With that the woman turned and run off into the nearby woods.

"Miss!" Leon called after her, but she vanished from sight.

"Umm, Leon," Elyan called.

Leon turned and saw Elyan had walked further into the village.

"What is it, Elyan?" Leon asked.

"I think you should take a look at this," Elyan called back.

Leon made his way over to Elyan, who was staring down at something on the ground. Leon followed his gaze, to find a spiral like symbol burned into the ground. Runes were burned into the ground along the edge of the spiral leading into a symbol, similar to what Leon had been tattooed on druids, in its centre.

"What is it?" Percival asked.

"Magic," Gwaine answered with a slight shrug. "Isn't in obvious? I bet Merlin would know what this is, but he isn't here with us, is he?"

"Gwaine," Leon sounded annoyed. "For the last time-"

"No," Gwaine snapped. "You're willing to lie to the King for Lancelot, so why not Merlin too? We could have gone after him and he could be here with us now and we'd know what the hell we're dealing with! But we don't, because you can't lie to protect Merlin, when he so clearly risks his life to protect ours!"

"That's enough, Gwaine," Leon ordered. "Let's keep moving."

)o(

 **Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


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